Citi ThankYou adds Japan Airlines Mileage Bank, with a 30% transfer bonus until 24 October
Citi made Japan Airlines Mileage Bank a ThankYou transfer partner on 20 September 2026. Annual-fee cards such as the Strata Premier transfer 1:1, no-fee cards such as the Double Cash transfer 1:0.7, and a 30% launch bonus runs through 24 October 2026.
In this article
Citi ThankYou points can now be moved to Japan Airlines, and for about three more weeks they go further than usual.
What changed
AwardWallet and One Mile at a Time both report that Citi launched Japan Airlines Mileage Bank as a transfer partner on 20 September 2026, effective immediately. AwardWallet counts it as Citi's 16th airline partner and 22nd transfer partner overall.
The ratio depends on which Citi card you hold:
| Card type | Examples | Standard ratio | With the 30% bonus (to 24 Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual-fee ThankYou cards | Citi Strata Premier, Citi Strata Elite | 1,000 points to 1,000 miles | 1,000 points to 1,300 miles |
| No-annual-fee ThankYou cards | Citi Strata, Citi Double Cash | 1,000 points to 700 miles | 1,000 points to 910 miles |
The launch bonus runs from 20 September through 24 October 2026. Neither source states a minimum transfer amount, and AwardWallet lists the transfer time as unknown, so do not count on an instant transfer when award space is about to disappear.
Why it matters
JAL miles have been hard to earn from US cards. Per AwardWallet, only Bilt and Citi let cardholders transfer at a full 1:1 ratio, with Capital One the other bank option at a weaker rate. One Mile at a Time points to JAL's own first and business class awards and oneworld partner awards as the reason to care.
Read the JAL rules before you transfer
Transfers to airline programs are one-way. One Mile at a Time flags three Mileage Bank rules that catch people out:
- Family-only redemptions. You can redeem miles only for yourself and family members related by blood or marriage.
- Cancellation fee. Cancelling an award costs 3,100 JPY.
- No single award across multiple JAL segments. Multi-segment trips on JAL's own flights need separate award tickets.
What it means for you
- Have a specific JAL or oneworld award in mind and can see the space? The 30% bonus is a real discount. Transfer before 24 October.
- No booking planned? Do not transfer speculatively. ThankYou points are worth more flexible than they are locked in one program with family-only rules.
- Hold only a no-fee Citi card? The 1:0.7 ratio is a steep haircut. If you also hold an annual-fee ThankYou card, check whether moving the transfer to that card gets you the better ratio before you commit.
See where else your points can go on the transfer partner explorer, or run the numbers on a redemption with the points calculator.
Sources
Every claim on this page is backed by a primary or reputable source.
Cards affected
Card figures on CardPolo come from our catalog, each with an issuer source and a verified date where we have checked it. Spot something out of date? Tell us at [email protected].
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